Chapter Text
—.✦ ݁˖
The practice room still smelled faintly like fried chicken and sweet iced tea from the delivery bags they'd torn through earlier. A half-played playlist sat paused on someone's phone, the screen dimming and brightening as notifications came in.
FirstOne stood there looking at the chaos like it personally offended him.
They had just finished eating and had been left with cleaning duty after Keng and Namping got called away for wardrobe fittings.
Tle didn't say anything at first. He just reached over and took a few containers from FirstOne's side, stacking them neatly.
FirstOne watched him do it, then deliberately messed up one of the stacks just to be annoying.
Tle looked at the lopsided pile, then back at FirstOne like really?
FirstOne held the stare for a second before he cracked and laughed, loud and expressive.
A grin spread on Tle's face as he shook his head and bumped his shoulder lightly into FirstOne's, just enough to make contact and kept stacking.
As they cleaned, they drifted closer without thinking, passing things back and forth, Tle reaching around FirstOne to grab a bottle, FirstOne stepping aside then stepping right back into Tle's space.
This is how it usually was.
Tle held a trash bag open with one hand. "Give me."
FirstOne scooped up a handful of sandwich wrappers and dropped them in. "Who leaves trash on the floor when the trash is right there..... so lazy." he said, making a face.
Tle glanced at him, amused. "You did."
FirstOne scoffed like he was just accused of a crime. "No."
"Yes."
FirstOne teasingly pointed a finger like he was warning him. "Are you sure it wasn't you and you're blaming me? Huh?"
Tle's grin widened, eyes crinkling. "No, but I'll take the blame for you if you want.."
FirstOne laughed, cheeks warming, and shoved another container into the bag like he was hiding.
Tle carried the bag toward the door with FirstOne staying close behind him.
They reached the trash corner and Tle tossed the bag in neatly.
FirstOne leaned his hip against the wall, watching Tle like he had nothing else to do now. "So what are you doing this weekend," he asked, like he hadn't just been with him all week.
Tle shot him a look, grin still there. "Work."
FirstOne groaned. "Don't be boring."
Tle's laughed under his breath. "You asked."
FirstOne stepped a fraction closer, lowering his voice like it was a secret even though they were alone. "Okay but... after."
Tle's eyes crinkled again, and he closed his mouth briefly like he was holding the smile in. "After?" he repeated, amused.
FirstOne watched that little reaction and felt his own smile go shy again, like it always did.
He nudged Tle lightly with his shoulder. "Answer."
Tle nudged back, gentle. "We'll see."
He just does this to spite him..
FirstOne already knows that either way, Tle will hang out with him if he asks but it was fun bantering.
FirstOne narrowed his eyes. "That's not an answer."
Tle's grin stayed. "It is."
FirstOne sighed dramatically, then reached for a pillow from the couch that everyone used when they were waiting between schedules.
He tossed it at Tle's chest and Tle caught it, still smiling like this was exactly what he expected.
"You're annoying," FirstOne said, smiling despite himself.
—
They kept cleaning up the room, bantering quietly and close in a way that felt familiar.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, Firstone saw Tle watching him the way he always does when he's entertained by something.
FirstOne paused and stared back at him for a beat, then lifted his chin slightly "What?"
Tle didn't answer right away. He just grinned, swallowing once like he was holding something back.
Then he stepped closer and poked FirstOne's side with two quick fingers.
He jolted and twisted away on instinct, shoulders jumping, grabbing Tle's wrist to move his hand off him.
Ticklish.
Always ticklish.
The kind of ticklish that made him lose all dignity in half a second, unfortunately.
"Tle-stop," FirstOne warned in a hushed tone, glancing towards the door.
Tle's grin stayed on his face. "Why?"
"I'm cleaning," FirstOne said, trying to sound serious but his mouth was already betraying him.
Tle poked him again, completely ignoring him.
FirstOne squeaked, laughing immediately and trying to twist away, still holding Tle's arm as if that would stop him.
It obviously didn't.
Tle leaned in and tickled him properly, fingers finding the exact spot at FirstOne's side like he knew it by memory.
FirstOne's laughter burst out loud, messy and helpless. "P'Tle!"
Tle laughed too, warm and breathy, and kept going until FirstOne collapsed onto the couch with a defeated slump.
Tle followed immediately, dropping beside him, fingers tickling at FirstOne's side.
This was punishment for messing up the stacks.
FirstOne threw his head back, laughing so hard his stomach hurt. He tried to pin Tle's wrist down and tried to push him away but he was laughing too much to fight properly.
"Stop that..!" FirstOne nearly yelled, curled in and elbows tucking in like armor.
Tle's laugh came out louder, eyes crinkling even more. "You did it on purpose."
"I didn't!" FirstOne tried, then immediately dissolved again when Tle's fingers found his side again.
He grabbed at Tle's arm, both hands this time, trying to pin it down. Tle let him go for half a second... then he sneaked his hand away from FirstOne's grasp.
FirstOne made a sound that wasn't even a word, just pure offended laughter.
He shoved Tle's shoulder, urging him to stop, laughing.
That seemed to work because Tle finally eased up, breathless and still grinning. His hands retreated like he was being generous.
FirstOne slid down slightly on the couch, chest rising and falling fast, hair a little messy and cheeks burning. He wiped at the corner of his eye, blinking away tears from laughing so hard.
Tle sat back too, still laughing quietly, watching FirstOne's pained face.
FirstOne turned to him.
They were close enough that he could see the tiny details..
Tle's grin still lingering, the way his eyes stayed slightly crinkled, the warmth in his expression like he was satisfied just because FirstOne had laughed.
FirstOne's laughter faded into something smaller.
And then, stupidly, his nerves sparked again.
It was ridiculous. This was so normal. They were always like this. They sat shoulder to shoulder in meetings, leaned on each other between schedules, FirstOne sometimes clung to him absentmindedly because it was just easy.
They were BL actors for gods sake.
So why did his chest feel tight now?
Why did he suddenly feel hyperaware of the distance between their faces and the way Tle's arm rested along the back of the couch behind him.
FirstOne swallowed.
Tle is attractive, his brain offered, unhelpful and obvious.
Yeah. No shit.
He'd known that. He'd always known that in the same way you know fire is hot. It was just... a fact. Something that existed without needing to be examined too closely.
And usually, he didn't examine it.
Well...
But lately, it registered differently sometimes. Like the dial had shifted a little and nobody had announced it. Like his body had started reacting before his brain could catch up, and he hated that he noticed.
And it wasn't just that he was hot either...
Tle is... well Tle.
He blamed Songkran..
He really did.
He'd gotten nervous before, sure. Little moments that vanished if he ignored them.
But after Songkran, it felt... sharper. More frequent.
He's never been so clingy with someone like that, at least not in that way. Not in the way that started feeling more like a situation-ship rather than best friends who were also acting partners.
Maybe he just liked being held in a way that felt natural, a type of affection he didn't even have to think twice about. Maybe he just wanted intimacy because he'd been tired, overworked, lonely in ways he didn't admit out loud.
Maybe it had nothing to do with Tle.
Maybe..
FirstOne looked at Tle's lingering grin and felt his smile turn shy again, softening without permission.
Tle blinked at him once, "What," he said, mirroring him now.
FirstOne looked away, shaking his head in dismissal, cheeks warm and suddenly very interested in his bracelet, by the beads, by anything that wasn't Tle's face. He shifted on the couch like he could physically shake the nerves out of his body.
Tle stayed close, comfortable. The grin faded into something gentler.
Then he sighed.
Not dramatic. Just the kind of sigh you let out when you're full and tired and satisfied.
He slumped down and let his head fall onto FirstOne's arm near his lap, cheek pressing into FirstOne's forearm with closed eyes.
A small, closed-mouth smile stayed on his face. He looked so... content. Like he'd found a comfortable spot and decided, yeah. here is good.
He stared down at Tle for half a second, caught on the curve of his smile and the way his breathing slowed.
His arm felt suddenly too important, like if he moved even a little, he'd ruin something.
Tle shifted and settled more comfortably, and then his arm slid around FirstOne, loose between the couch and FirstOne's lower back.
FirstOne reacted without thinking.
His hand lifted to Tle's head automatically, fingers sinking into his hair with gentle pressure, like he was anchoring him there. His other arm was half trapped under Tle already, forearm tucked under Tle's shoulders where he lay against him.
The room around them had gone soft, just the faint hum of the AC, the distant hallway noise and the sound of their breathing.
Tle stayed still for a while, eyes closed, smile barely there while FirstOne stared ahead, trying to keep his face normal even though his chest felt tight.
This was so annoying. He could list a hundred moments just like this. It was the kind of closeness no one questioned because it had always been there.
He shouldn't be spiraling.
Tle's fingers moved, slowly and absentmindedly.
They gently brushed along FirstOne's side, a light caress through the fabric of his shirt, up and down once, then again.
FirstOne's breath caught, softly.
For a second he thought he might get tickled again.
But it wasn't that.
Tle didn't speak. Didn't open his eyes. Just kept breathing, thumb making another slow pass along FirstOne's side.
FirstOne swallowed hard, throat suddenly dry.
It's normal. He always does this. You're overthinking. Friends do this all the time.
So why does it feel like this with him?
Maybe I'm confusing on-screen feelings with personal ones.
But still, his body didn't know what to do with a touch that felt this gentle, this familiar, and somehow too intimate to pretend it meant nothing.
Tle shifted just slightly, settling deeper into the couch, head pressing more securely into FirstOne's arm. The movement nudged FirstOne's hand in Tle's hair, and FirstOne's fingers slid a little in an unconscious stroke, gentle at the crown.
Tle hummed, barely audible.
Not a word. Just a soft sound that went straight through FirstOne and settled in his chest.
FirstOne's mouth opened to break the silence but nothing came out.
He didn't know what he could say that wouldn't sound wrong. Too much. Too obvious. Too revealing.
So he went for the safest thing.
"You're heavy," FirstOne muttered, voice low and rougher than he meant it to be.
Tle didn't open his eyes. The corner of his mouth lifted, that closed-mouth smile turning slightly smug. "Liar."
FirstOne's tried to scoff, but it came out soft. "I'm serious."
Tle hummed again, still smiling. "Then push me off."
FirstOne didn't move.
Of course he didn't.
Tle's smile widened a fraction, amused, like he'd expected that. His hand traced along FirstOne's side once more, slow and lazy, and then stilled, palm resting there comfortably.
FirstOne's pulse jumped again.
He shifted his gaze downward, finally, just enough to see Tle's face in the corner of his vision. Lashes resting against his cheek. Smile still there.
FirstOne stared for a beat too long.
He wanted to pull away but also wanted to stay exactly like this, which was a stupid thought and made him feel even worse.
He took a slow breath in. Held it. Let it out carefully.
Tle tilted his face slightly toward FirstOne's stomach, eyes still closed, nuzzling into the safest place he could find.
FirstOne's hand moved without permission, one gentle stroke through Tle's hair, then another, slower. Like he was soothing him.
Tle hummed again, content.
And FirstOne's brain finally stopped pretending.
Because it shouldn't feel like this.
It shouldn't make him want to lean down and say something stupidly honest just to see what Tle would do.
Eventually, Tle shifted.
At first it was small, head lifting a little, shoulders rolling like he was waking up from a good nap. Then he pushed himself up properly, slow and loose, a yawn stretching wide across his face.
Even sitting up, he didn't move far.
He stayed close, knee now pressed against FirstOne's thigh. He blinked a few times, eyes slightly glossy, then rubbed at the corner of one eye with his knuckles.
FirstOne watched him.
"Are you tired?" FirstOne asked, trying ease into normalcy.
As he spoke, his hand found Tle's arm automatically, fingers wrapping around his forearm the way they always did. It was a casual hold. Familiar. Anchoring.
But frankly, he didn't know if it calmed him down or made him more anxious.
Tle glanced down at the hand on his arm, then back up at FirstOne, a small closed-mouth smile returning.
"A little," Tle said, voice groggy from yawning.
FirstOne nodded like that was fine, like he didn't just stupidly spiral again.
"Same," FirstOne looked down, knocking his feet together.
"You're always tired." Tle teased.
FirstOne scoffed. "I'm tired because you were tickling me."
Tle leaned in just a fraction, "You deserved it." Tle hummed, voice calm.
FirstOne laughed, feeling a little bit less anxious.
It's funny how Tle can make me feel calm and anxious all in one..
After a moment, Tle's gaze dropped again, straight to FirstOne's hand wrapped around his arm.
Then he looked back up.
And it was that look again.
Like he was feeling it too....
Why does he always look at me like that?
FirstOne swallowed and stared back, trapped by it for a beat too long then felt heat crawl up his neck.
He lifted his free hand and gently nudged Tle's face away, like he was pushing away a cat that kept trying to sit on your phone.
"Don't," FirstOne murmured, trying to make it sound playful.
Tle let himself be pushed, head turning obediently, but not far, the small smile turning into a slightly shy one.
They'd always been comfortable with each other, ever since they met on Domundi.
Since then their friendship grew into something that couldn't ever be replaced.
When it came to fanservice, they could do it in front of staff, friends, cameras, fans.. But the truth was, there were moments like this, quiet, private ones, where it didn't feel like a habit anymore.
And somewhere in their journey, the fan service stopped being fan service, at least for FirstOne..
FirstOne looked away first, exhaling through his nose like he was annoyed at himself and pushed himself off the couch.
Just then, the staff started to make their way in.